Overcoming Doubt: Embracing Faith in Desperation
Summary
### Summary
Good morning, everyone. It's a joy to be here today, and I believe God wants to speak to each of us personally. We're continuing our journey through the book of Mark, focusing on chapter 9, where Jesus' authority is vividly displayed. The chapter begins with the transfiguration of Jesus, a profound moment where His divine nature is revealed to Peter, James, and John. This is followed by a scene of chaos as Jesus descends from the mountain to find His disciples embroiled in an argument with the scribes over their inability to cast out a demon from a boy.
The central theme today is encapsulated in the desperate cry of the boy's father: "I believe, but help my unbelief." This statement resonates deeply with all of us, as we navigate the tension between faith and doubt. Jesus does not shame the father for his doubts but responds with compassion and power, casting out the demon and healing the boy. This story teaches us that God does not despise our doubts; instead, He meets us in our desperation and helps us overcome our unbelief.
We all face moments of doubt and struggle in our faith journey. These can stem from various sources, such as personal trauma, lack of engagement with God's Word, or insufficient prayer. Yet, God is patient and compassionate, ready to meet us where we are. Even the heroes of faith in the Bible, like Peter and Thomas, experienced doubts. Their stories remind us that doubts do not disqualify us from being disciples; rather, they should drive us to cry out to God in desperation.
In our moments of doubt, we must remember that it takes just a small amount of faith to get God's attention. Whether it's the faith to cry out like Blind Bartimaeus or the faith to say "yes" to God like Mary, God honors our sincere, desperate cries. Today, let's bring our doubts, questions, and struggles before God, trusting that He will meet us in our need and strengthen our faith.
### Key Takeaways
1. God Meets Us in Our Doubts: The story of the boy's father in Mark 9:24 shows that God does not despise our doubts. Instead, He meets us in our desperation and helps us overcome our unbelief. This teaches us that it's okay to have doubts and questions; what matters is bringing them honestly before God. [05:15]
2. Faith and Doubt Coexist: The tension between faith and doubt is a common experience for all believers. Even the disciples, who witnessed Jesus' miracles firsthand, struggled with doubts. This reminds us that doubts do not disqualify us from being disciples; they are part of our faith journey. [13:13]
3. Desperation Drives Us to God: Our doubts and struggles should lead us to a desperate cry for God. Like the father who cried out, "I believe, but help my unbelief," we must bring our honest hearts before God, trusting that He will respond with compassion and power. [19:30]
4. Small Faith is Powerful: It doesn't take a lot of faith to get God's attention. Whether it's the faith to cry out like Blind Bartimaeus or the faith to say "yes" to God like Mary, God honors our sincere, desperate cries. Even a mustard seed of faith is enough to move mountains. [17:11]
5. God's Compassion in Our Struggles: God is compassionate and patient with us in our struggles. He does not pull away when we have questions or doubts. Instead, He comes closer, offering His presence and strength to help us navigate the tension between what we see and what we believe. [12:16]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[01:07] - Introduction to Mark 9
[02:24] - The Transfiguration
[03:12] - The Boy with the Unclean Spirit
[05:15] - "I Believe, Help My Unbelief"
[06:10] - Causes of Doubt
[07:36] - The Fight for Faith
[08:06] - Personal Testimony of Doubt
[10:42] - The Tension of Faith and Doubt
[12:16] - God's Compassion in Our Doubts
[13:13] - Doubts of the Disciples
[17:11] - How Much Faith is Needed?
[19:30] - The Desperation of the Father
[21:09] - Where Are You in Your Faith Journey?
[23:16] - Call to Worship and Cry Out to God
[28:12] - Personal Prayer and Reflection
[30:03] - Impartation of Faith
[31:16] - Closing Prayer and Worship
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Mark 9:14-29 - The story of the boy with the unclean spirit and the father's cry, "I believe, but help my unbelief."
#### Observation Questions
1. What was the reaction of the crowd when they saw Jesus in Mark 9:15?
2. How did the father describe his son's condition to Jesus in Mark 9:17-18?
3. What was Jesus' response to the father's plea for help in Mark 9:23-24?
4. What happened to the boy after Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to leave in Mark 9:25-27?
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus did not shame the father for his doubts but instead responded with compassion and power? [05:15]
2. How does the father's statement, "I believe, but help my unbelief," reflect the tension between faith and doubt that many believers experience? [05:15]
3. In what ways do the stories of Peter and Thomas, as mentioned in the sermon, illustrate that doubts do not disqualify us from being disciples? [13:13]
4. How does the sermon suggest that our doubts and struggles should drive us to a desperate cry for God? [19:30]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you experienced doubt in your faith journey. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome? [06:10]
2. The sermon mentioned that a lack of engagement with God's Word can lead to doubts. What practical steps can you take to immerse yourself more in Scripture? [06:10]
3. How can you cultivate a habit of prayer to build yourself up in faith, as suggested by Jude 20? [06:10]
4. Think about a personal trauma or struggle that has caused you to doubt. How can you bring this honestly before God, trusting in His compassion and patience? [12:16]
5. The sermon highlighted that even a small amount of faith, like a mustard seed, is powerful. What is one small step of faith you can take this week to draw closer to God? [17:11]
6. How can you support someone in your small group or community who is currently struggling with doubts or unbelief? [16:20]
7. Reflect on the statement, "I believe, but help my unbelief." How can you make this your prayer in moments of doubt and struggle? [05:15]
This guide is designed to help your small group engage deeply with the themes of faith and doubt, encouraging honest discussion and practical application.
Devotional
Day 1: God Meets Us in Our Doubts
Description: The story of the boy's father in Mark 9:24 is a powerful reminder that God does not despise our doubts. When the father cries out, "I believe, but help my unbelief," Jesus responds with compassion and power, casting out the demon and healing the boy. This teaches us that it's okay to have doubts and questions; what matters is bringing them honestly before God. God meets us in our desperation and helps us overcome our unbelief. He is patient and compassionate, ready to meet us where we are, even in our moments of doubt. [05:15]
Mark 9:24-25 (ESV): "Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, 'I believe; help my unbelief!' And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, 'You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.'"
Reflection: Think of a specific doubt or question you have about your faith. Can you bring this honestly before God today, asking Him to meet you in your doubt and help you overcome it?
Day 2: Faith and Doubt Coexist
Description: The tension between faith and doubt is a common experience for all believers. Even the disciples, who witnessed Jesus' miracles firsthand, struggled with doubts. This reminds us that doubts do not disqualify us from being disciples; they are part of our faith journey. The stories of Peter and Thomas, who both experienced doubts, show us that God is patient and compassionate with us. Our doubts should drive us to cry out to God in desperation, trusting that He will respond with compassion and power. [13:13]
Matthew 14:31 (ESV): "Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'"
Reflection: Reflect on a time when you experienced doubt in your faith journey. How did you respond to that doubt? Can you see how God was patient and compassionate with you during that time?
Day 3: Desperation Drives Us to God
Description: Our doubts and struggles should lead us to a desperate cry for God. Like the father who cried out, "I believe, but help my unbelief," we must bring our honest hearts before God, trusting that He will respond with compassion and power. This story teaches us that God does not despise our doubts; instead, He meets us in our desperation and helps us overcome our unbelief. It takes just a small amount of faith to get God's attention, and He honors our sincere, desperate cries. [19:30]
Psalm 34:17-18 (ESV): "When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
Reflection: Think of a current struggle or doubt you are facing. Can you bring this honestly before God today, crying out to Him in desperation and trusting that He will respond with compassion and power?
Day 4: Small Faith is Powerful
Description: It doesn't take a lot of faith to get God's attention. Whether it's the faith to cry out like Blind Bartimaeus or the faith to say "yes" to God like Mary, God honors our sincere, desperate cries. Even a mustard seed of faith is enough to move mountains. This teaches us that our faith, no matter how small, is powerful when placed in God's hands. We must trust that God will honor our sincere, desperate cries and respond with compassion and power. [17:11]
Matthew 17:20 (ESV): "He said to them, 'Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.'"
Reflection: Think of a small step of faith you can take today. How can you trust that God will honor your sincere, desperate cry and respond with compassion and power?
Day 5: God's Compassion in Our Struggles
Description: God is compassionate and patient with us in our struggles. He does not pull away when we have questions or doubts. Instead, He comes closer, offering His presence and strength to help us navigate the tension between what we see and what we believe. This teaches us that God is always with us, even in our moments of doubt and struggle. We must trust that He will meet us in our need and strengthen our faith. [12:16]
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV): "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Reflection: Reflect on a current struggle or doubt you are facing. How can you trust that God is with you, offering His presence and strength to help you navigate the tension between what you see and what you believe?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "God doesn't despise those who struggle with doubts. In fact, he gives grace to those who humbly and desperately cry out for help. In their unbelief. We all have doubts on this journey with God. We all have questions. We all have some unbelief. And those come from all different kinds of places, right? But the main reason is why? Because we're human. We live on a fallen, broken planet." [06:10] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "How much faith does it take to get God's attention? Well, it takes enough faith to get up and to go where Jesus is. The paralytic. I talked about this a few weeks ago. Right? It took enough faith for him and his buddies to get him in the room with Jesus. I can't let the tension of my faith and my doubt and my belief and my unbelief. I cannot let the tension keep me back from who Jesus is and from getting to Jesus. Go to Jesus with all your heart." [17:11] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "How much faith does it take? Enough faith to cry out even in the face of the crowd. Think about Blind Bar and Emmaus. He's in the ditch. He knows Jesus is coming by. Son of David, have mercy on me. And the disciples are like, whoa, brother, be quiet over here. Jesus, we're on the way to something right now. Keep it down. He did not care. He said, Son of David, have mercy on me. He had enough faith. He had enough faith to cry out even if it felt a little embarrassing, even if it felt a little awkward, even if he didn't know if Jesus was going to turn." [18:41] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "You can let doubt, fear, and worry overtake you. Or you can call upon the Lord. God has promised that if you call upon him, he will deliver you. He will deliver you. Whatever it is you find yourself in today, God's promise is that he will deliver you when you call upon him." [23:16] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to have this super strong faith to come before God. No, you just have enough to cry out to him. Just enough to say, God, here I am. God, help me. Lord, I am desperate for you." [22:08] (17 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "The father is saying this out of this desperate need that he has. This desperate cry. And the translations, there's all different ones. And some of them say that he was even brought to tears. So we see this father crying out. And at first he says, if you can. But then this humble and honest position that the father takes and he says, I believe, but help my unbelief. And listen, Jesus doesn't shame him. He doesn't walk away because of his doubts. No, Jesus reminds him what to believe and then responds to his desperation." [05:15] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Doubts do not disqualify you as a disciple. But they should cause you to desperately cry out to God. In our desperate faith cry, he will meet you there. Right in the midst of all that, he's going to meet you right where you are. In some of the most vulnerable moments of your life, of what feels like defeat and failure, God has compassion towards those who will cry out to him." [16:20] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "The father's not asking. He wasn't just saying, help me right here, right now. We just need a practical miracle, and then we'll be on our way. He's literally crying out from this place of help me in my unbelief, not for just this moment, but for the rest of my life, for the rest of my days. I will believe and I will follow you, but I'm going to need some help in these areas of doubt and struggle. And tension in my walk with you." [21:09] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "And the enemy tries to say, you're not, you can't do this. Like, what do you think you're doing? But it's the reminder of like, no, there's a tension of what we see with our eyes and the faith, supernatural faith of what God has said. And what he is capable of. And we have to remind ourselves and get in his word and get in his house with other believers and literally align ourselves with who Jesus says he is. But ultimately, there needs to be a cry. Your doubts should lead you to a desperate cry for Jesus." [22:08] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "How much faith does it take? It takes enough faith to agree with what God says and say yes. Just enough to be able to say yes to God. You might feel like today, I don't have any. I have no faith to give. If you have enough to say yes to God, you have his attention. Mary, the mother of Jesus, she said, be it unto me according to thy will. What does that mean? She's like, I don't understand why we're doing it this way. But you have my yes." [17:53] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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